Fluorescent lamps are conventionally started by inducing a high voltage generated by a coil in the starting circuit and then stabilizing the illumination by suppressing the abnormally high current developed in the fluorescent tube after the lamp is lit and stabilized. As the consumption of energy became more critical, new techniques were developed to save energy consumed during the start up method which previously was highly energy inefficient compared to the power consumption of the fluorescent lamp once it was lit. These energy saving systems included the low power consumption type of fluorescent lamp stabilizers which incorporated a phase control method to-save power. However, in a stabilizer utilizing the phase control method of the prior art harmonics can develop in the secondary current side of the windings due to a distortion in the current wave form. This distortion can produce a variety of magnetic wave interference effects which could be propagated over substantial distances and can affect various types of electrical components such as communication systems, cellular telephones, and systems that rely on radio frequency transmissions.
Furthermore, distortion effects in the current wave form of the primary side of the ballast winding has created problems effecting the power source the fluorescent light and any other equipment which is connected to it. Another undesirable effect of the wave form distortion is the increased temperature resulting in the stabilizer which is brought about the heat created by the harmonic wave forms, as a result by life of the stabilizer can diminish because of the increased temperature caused by this distortion of the current wave form in the windings. Thus, there remains a need for improved low powered fluorescent lighting methods which avoid the harmonics and distorted wave forms created by previous systems.